~ the agony and ecstasy of a reading life

May Day! May Day!

I’m not sure if that is a cheer for spring or call for help. Snow will soon be falling. The forecast this morning promised 6 inches (15.2cm) then it was downgraded to 3 (7.6cm) and now it is down to just over an inch (2.5cm). Perhaps it will end up being nothing at all but rain. Snowflakes in early May are not unusual, accumulating snow is. Even if we get 10 inches (25.4 cm) it won’t really mater since it is supposed to be 70F (21C) by Monday. Still, I can’t help but feel like Winter is making a mess of its seasonal death scene. It’s as though Winter has been cast in a bad movie or a Shakespeare tragedy. Winter has received a mortal wound and is dying but somehow manages to go on and on in a lengthy speech and just when you think this will be his last line, he bursts forth with several more. And then after all the philosophical babbling, he still manages to say goodbye to wife and children and friends. There comes a point when ridiculous doesn’t even cover it.

Thinking about weather reminded me of the Sunday Times Book Review essay a couple weeks ago A Man For All Seasons. It turns out Thoreau was such a careful and regular record keeper, scientists are using his journal to do climate research. Thoreau recorded the leafing out and blooming dates of hundreds of plants and trees from 1852 to 1861. He also took temperature readings, noted migrating birds, measured the depth of ponds and streams.

A number of the plants Thoreau observed have disappeared from the Concord area, but scientists have been able to study 32 spring-flowering native plants that are still around and compare them to Thoreau’s observations. They have found that the average spring temperature has risen from the 42F (5.6C) of Thoreau’s time to 48F (8.9C) in our time and plants are flowering about 11 days earlier. Yay for shorter winters, right? But the danger is that some of these plants need specialist pollinators and it isn’t clear that the needed pollinators are keeping up with the changes.

As wonderful as Thoreau’s naturalist documentation is, the man himself could be a real jerk. On April 30, 1844, twenty-six-year-old Thoreau and a friend out for a walk through the Walden woods, stopped for lunch. They fried a fish for their meal and accidentally set fire to the woods. They tried to put it out but it was no use. While Thoreau’s friend went to summon the fire department, Thoreau climbed up to a bluff to watch 300 acres of Walden woods burn.

Thoreau wrote about the fire in his journal but not until four years after it happened. He said he had felt guilty but no longer. He pumped himself up and decided he was God’s agent:

‘Who are these men who are said to be the owners of these woods, and how am I related to them? I have set fire to the forest, but I have done no wrong therein, and now it is as if the lightning had done it. These flames are but consuming their natural food.’ …When the lightning burns the forest its Director makes no apology to man, and I was but His agent.

What an ego! For a very long time there were people in Concord who continued to harass him about it, but Thoreau ruffles up his feathers and is offended! After all, he “had a deeper interest in the woods, knew them better and should feel their loss more.” Now that’s chutzpah!

Crazy and dispiriting weather, Stefanie! I hope it gets better soon. Here it is to be very wet tomorrow while temperatures limp to about 13C by Monday- but I like it cool. Thoreau- I remember you did a post on something called “Walden- the Game”, wouldn’t it be neat for a scenario in the game to feature this episode!

Ian, it is crazy. But at this point we are all resigned and laughing over how ridiculous it is. It will give us something to talk about for months! :) Yes, I had forgotten about Walden the Game. I doubt they included the fire episode but it would be pretty funny if they did!

After joining the birdwatching group last Sept. did I realize how exact people are in recording nature. To add to the changes you mentioned, they know exactly how many bird species now less than say, twenty years ago. Maybe you have heard of the annual (international) Christmas Bird Counts originally started in NYC Central Park. As for Thoreau, I read somewhere that you have to have a certain amount of ego in order to be a writer.

Arti, it’s fascinating, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve been gardening for years and until this year it never occurred to me that it might be a good idea to keep a gardening journal. I started one but I admit it is not filled with detailed observations but maybe I will start trying to improve on that. We have an annual bird count here too. I’ve never been but it is really popular. And Thoreau, he certainly has plenty of ego!

He was rather full of himself, wasn’t he? You’d think such a nature lover would be a little more sensitive, eh? It has been crappy weather here, too. We were forecast up to 5-6 inches of snow, too, but it was all just mucky slush. In the morning it was just slippery enough–and very wet!–to make me late and made me miss my bus. Now it is cold and grey. No nice weather forecast until Tuesday when we might get to 70. Sunday and Monday in the 60s–but every day cloudy. So depressing. I hope your hothouse seedlings are doing well!

Danielle, I know! You’d think he would be a bit more sensitive. But then I think he liked nature much more than people. We are to get a few more days of yucky weather and then return to the 60s and 70s next week. Hang in there! For some reason only a things have sprouted in my greenhouse, morning glories and sunflowers. The corn and lettuce and other things I planted have yet to sprout. I’m getting a little worried! Might have to try again.

I love that Thoreau’s work is having practical value now (besides the philosophical) in furthering our study and understanding of our environment. My father in law recorded temperature data in a diary … But of course that was in times when those things were being recorded anyhow so it wouldn’t the same use. Interesting though how some have that desire to record, while others don’t care a hoot about data! Just as well some do … And have.

whisperinggums, goes to show that diary keeping can be very useful in more ways than one. Temperatures always vary from place to place so you never know, your father-in-law’s records could be useful someday. I’ve never been one to record but I am making an effort to start doing it for my garden. I figure keeping it all in my head probably isn’t a good plan. It has worked so far and I haven’t had any data failures, but it is always good to have a backup right? ;)

Stefanie — wow, Winter is still tormenting you — and yet here in The Great White North it is very summery. HOT, even. Go figure.
About the Thoreau story — you know there is a historical novel written about this very event. It’s called Wood Burner, by John Pipkin. As I am writing this comment from the bookstore, I have the very book in my hand — I’ve seen it before and wanted to buy it. Maybe this is my impetus now to take it up to the cashier!

Cipriano, winter is reluctant to let go. I think after this last weekend though it finally has. How is it you got so hot up there already? Oh, I haven’t heard of the Pipkin book! I am going to have to find myself a copy for sure! Thanks for the tip!

Yeah, Thoreau was a twit. I do like his idea of ‘wide margins’ to the day, though, and borrow it freely. You made me laugh so much with your analogy of winter to Shakespeare. I once sat on the edge of my seat through the last half hour of Othello. We had a train to catch home and I couldn’t believe he was taking sooooo long to die!